5 Ways in which the Nokia 3310 could save you money

The Nokia 3310 is back and there are claims that it’s going to be better than ever. The iconic, indestructible phone has been redesigned 17 years later and has captured hearts and minds.

The bad news is that it is not yet available in South Africa. But the good news is that it will be soon. “All the new Nokia Phones announced at Mobile World Congress will be available in 2Q of 2017 – exact launch timing for South Africa will be announced closer to the local start of sales timelines,” said a spokesperson from HMD Global, the group behind the brand.

When the Nokia 3310 is available in the country it should be considered as a purchase for the following reasons:

1. Its price: The globally announced price of the phone is €49 (R691) is not a bad deal “This is quite a reasonable sounding price compared to the average cost of a phone these days,” said the spokesperson.
2. Its durability: There are several memes circulating around the internet poking fun at the old (and new) 3310 for the fact that it could be dropped from several stories and still survive. If you have a destructive toddler or if you are pretty clumsy yourself, you could save yourself a lot of money by investing in the 3310. Other phones are known to be rather fragile and you could be paying thousands of Rands for a new handset if you haven’t insured it if it gets tossed in the bath by your child or if you drop it on a hard pavement.
3. You won’t lose business by being out of contact: The Nokia 3310 has a battery lifespan of a reported 30 days. If you run a business or have a job where you need to be connected all the time keep this phone as a back-up and you’ll never have to worry about not being available again.
4. It’s bound to reduce your data charges: It only has basic internet access through a 2.5G connection. And it’s not possible to access Facebook and WhatsApp. But this will save you in data charges because if you’re using Facebook you could chow through 80MB per hour or 160MB per hour if you watch videos on the popular social media platform.
5. It could help you destress: We are too stressed these days and too exposed and connected. According to a study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg those who constantly use a computer or their mobile phone can develop stress, sleeping disorders and depression. With the Nokia 3310’s limited connectivity you’re bound to reduce your stress levels.

“We are starting to see a trend from some consumers where they want to switch-off or detox from digital connectivity – by this I mean – wanting to step away from all thing digital / social, whilst still being contactable via SMS or call.  This is one of the perfect fits for Nokia 3310, as an example.  It is definitely a trend globally and we are starting to see pockets of this in South Africa as well. Over use and accessibility from all the digital / online channels becomes overwhelming for consumers and they want to be able to ‘switch-off’ or ‘detox digitally’,” said the spokesperson for Nokia.